


The Paperclip Thing

by FrozenHearts



Series: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends [3]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Canon Compliant, Chewing gum, Death Threats, Gen, Hostage Situations, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapping, MacGyver-ism, Mentioned Red Room, Mentioned Riley Davis, Panic Attacks, Patricia Needs A Drink, Phone Calls & Telephones, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Canon, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Sam Is So Done, Spies & Secret Agents, Threats, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Video Cameras, What Happened in Budapest, paperclips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:31:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8130473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: Tony is kidnapped by Hydra agents who want access to his weapons. 
He doesn't expect them to bargain with another man's life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written differently before but then AO3 lost my original draft and I forgot to save a backup oops

Tony decided he was done. Yes, it had been a week since he was nabbed from that coffee shop on Saks, and yeah, these Hydra agents had upped their game on the scare tactics, but after a while, they should have been able to get ir through their thick skulls that he no longer worked with weapons.

They didn't believe him the first time he said so, instead tying him to a chair in a drafty room with what seemed like endless rolls of silver tape.They didn't really do much to try and scare him after the third day, either. Mostly there were a few punches here and there, and a single long gash on his arm as if that morning. 

Now the agents were back, their leader carrying a file, flipping through the pages nonchalantly. Tony was pretty sure Steve had told him about this man- Alexander Pierce or something like that- and how he basically took over S.H.I.E.L.D. as if he were taking candy from a baby. Tony clenched his jaw, waiting for the speech he knew Pierce would give him.

"Good morning, Mister Stark," Pierce said politely.

"Please, call me Tony," Tony smirked, "calling me 'Mister' makes me feel like my father."

Pierce smiled, sending shivers down Tony's spine. Steve had warned him about that smile too. He felt the arc reactor humming in.his chest as the man fixed a cuff on.his pristine white suit (really? Labor Day was a few months away, Tony thought Pierce knew that) before glancing towards the door.

"It seems Mister Stark won't cooperate again," Pierce announced, his voice echoing off the grimy walls. He felt a small flutter in his stomach, and he knew. This was it. They were going to kill him.

Tony prayed they'd make it swift, although he knew they'd make it as agonizingly painful as they could. This was Hydra, after all- they may half-ass their way through a lot of things, but torture was not one of them.

Tony liked to think "Go big or go home" was their motto.

Pierce watched the door patiently, tapping his foot every so often until it started grating on Tony's ears. It was unconventional, but this was probably Hydra's new tactic: annoying someone to death before they dis-embowled you. Cut off his head, oh god, what if they did just that? Sliced it clean from his neck and sent it to Cap and the team? Or even to Pepper, dear lord-

Tony's thoughts were cut short as the door creaked open and two Hydra assholes dragged in a young man by his hair, the man's feey scrabbling for purchase on the floor to keep from being pulled further. Pierce procured another chair from who knew where and placed it in front of Tony.

"We've decided you can have a roommate, Mister Stark," Pierce explained with an air of boredom, then to the agents he added, "Remember to play nice, boys."

Pierce made his exit as the agents shoved the new guy into the chair, slapping manacles around his wrists and ankles before moving to set up what looked like a camera and laptop. As the man struggled, Tony took a minute to assess his new friend" pale skin that looked flushed with red handprints om.his cheek, blond hair plastered to.his neck and face with sweat. His shirt was ripped at the neck, showing off bruising fingerprints around his throat, and Tony was fairly certain that was blood staining the leg of his jeans and pooling slowly on the floor.

"So, what are you in for?" Tony joked,but it fell flat once the man tried laughing and finished with a wet cough. 

After a few minutes, the man asked, "You Tony Stark?"

Tony rolled his eyes. Maybe this was Hydra's true plan, to kill him by sticking him in a room with a fan. There was always someone who was weird about it, and Tony never thought even Hydra would sink that low, but here they were. Grimacing, Tony replied, "Yup. What's it  you? Because if you haven't noticed, I can't sign autographs like this."

The man chuckled, shaking his head, "Natasha said you were full of yourself. No, these assholes think I work with you." 

Tony didn't notice the agents circling around them as he said, "Oh. Sorry, then.You know Romanoff?"

The man grinned, showing off bloody teeth and Tony found himself grateful that these guys didn't do the same to him. He liked his teeth where they were, but Tony could see this guy had good teeth and a nice jawline- it'd be a pity if Hydra decided to fuck it up, because this guy's face looked like it could've been carved by the angels themselves and all that crap.

"You ready to cooperate, Stark?" Hydra Agent One asked with a glint in his eye.

Tony pretended as if he would consider, scrutinizing the agent's face as he shook his head, "I dunno. Are you going to punch my teeth in too?"

Apparently this was the wrong answer, as the agent grabbed a fist full of the other guy's hair and yanked hard enough that he tore away bits of what Tony hoped wasn't his scalp.

Okay, Tony figured it most likely was, but he was giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

"Didn't know you were into that stuff," the man taunted, spitting a trail of red at the agent, "remind me to put you in a time-out next.time you want to play."

Normally, Tony would laugh at such a joke. But as the agent decidedly lost his cool and resorted to strangling the guy, he decided to sit there and shut up. Which was hard, buy he liked his face and he liked his teeth and in all honesty, he liked being able to breathe properly.

Thankfully, Hydra Agent Two pulled his buddy away, saying something about getting a new camera. Tony watched with dejection as they left the room, leaving him with the screech of the door and his new friends wheezing gasps.

"You okay, man?" Tony asked.

"Never better," the man coughed, shaking his hair away from his face. The blond strands were thin with sweat. Tony could feel the arc reactor humming inis chest and for some reason, he could sense that this guy was going to be more trouble than Hydra thought was worth.

\-----

Wanda knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help glancing into Steve's mind as he spoke with the woman in the white coat. They had been called into the conference room an hour ago, and Sam tols her it was a debriefing from the last mission, but she knew it really has to so with Tony's disappearance.

She could see Tony in some sort of room, cold and dark and she managed not to dredge up similar images from her own mind, of Ultron. It wouldn't do to muddle other memories with someone else's, especially not now. The woman's mind was similar, showing buildings with white walls and high speed car chases. Over and over she could see a young man with shaggy blond hair, always smiling and more often than not in a life or death situation.

Wanda could feel the worry and frustration emanating from each memory, raining down like hail on her psyche.

"Her agent was kidnapped too," Wanda announced, catching everyone's attention, "like Tony was. And don't tell me I'm lying, Captain because we both know I can read minds."

Wanda felt Sam tense next to her, "Wanda, y-"

"She is right, you know," Natasha cut them off. Wanda turned to look at her: she was currently using her nail to carve into the sleek oak table, and next to her was Clint, his ankles crossed and head lolled back against his chair. To the untrained eye, he looked to be sleeping, but Wanda knew better.

Natasha leaned forward, adding, "Everyone knows Tony didn't go on.vacation with Pepper, or else Pepper wouldn't have clocked in for work this morning."

Clint chuckled, opening one eye, "What did MacGyver do this time?" 

The woman in the white coat stepped forward, "You know my agent?"

Clint hummed, "Met him in Budapest during a covert mission. Incidentally, thos terrorists already had a hostage in their tent."

Wait- he told me he was the only hostage there," the woman said.

"Well Angus lied, ma'am," Clint said.

Wanda smirked at Sam's irked expression. He probably thought Natasha and Clint were too scary for friends or something like that. But even if Natasha and Clint considered this Angus MacGyver and Tony Stark their friends, she had hoped they'd be a bit more considerate, for lack of a better word. Hostage situations were never something to be so relaxed about.

Sam screwed up his nose as he cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

The woman pushed her hair away from her face, "Director Patricia Thornton of the Phoenix Foundation. You don't know we exist and it's going to stay that way once we get our agents back."

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed what she said. Stve had exited to retrieve a laptop in case Hydra sent something (they most-likely would, as they tended to be more on.the stereotypical side, Wanda noticed), until Patricia voiced what everyone must have been thinking. 

"How do you two know Agent MacGyver?" she asked, crossing her arms as she glared at Clint.

"Like we said," Clint shrugged, "Met him in Budapest, he was being hels hostage before they captured us."

"Let me just say that I never knew there could be so many uses for a stick of chewing gum," Natasha added unhelpfully.

"Right..." Sam said, "that doesn't explain how yoi know the guy."

Natasha and Clint exchanged amused glances and Wanda knew they were in for an interesting story once they got both men back.

\-----

For the first hour he had alone, Tony learned that the guy's name was Angus MacGyver, which begged the question:

"Who the fuck names their kid Angus?"

"I usually just go by MacGyver," he said, "Natasha only calls me Angus if she wants to annoy me."

Right. Tony bet he regretted ever telling Natasha of all people his first name. He could see it now, just picturing the short redhead following this guy around in Budapest as they worked, managing to take down the bad guy and annoy him in the process.

Wait, scratch that. Natasha would probably send.him to his grave first and then annoy him even from.beyond the grave. That was more her style, anyway. MacGyver was about to say something until Tony kicked his leg, having seen the door creak open over his shoulder.

A cart squealed as Hydra Asshole One stationed it in front of Tony, just behind MacGyver, while Hydra Asshole Two fiddled with a black handheld camera. MacGyver was craning his head around to see what they were doing, only to have Hydra Asshole Two pet his hair, force him to face Tony.

"We'll make sure you get a turn, pretty boy, don't worry," the agent patronized, grinning at Mac's malicious glare. He rattled the chains a tad, and Tony could see the metal chafe his wrists.

He was sort of glad they merely used tape on him instead. Sure, it was a tight fit and it itched like the dickens, but at least he wasn't bleeding.

"Now, Stark, you ready for your close-up?" Asshole Two asked.

Tony feigned boredom, "Listen, if the makeup department fucks up, I'll make sure your fired." Tony caught Mac's eye as he jutted his chin at the dingy lamp hanging overhead, "And this lighting? Atrocious, I mean, I thought you guys were supposed to be top notch!"

MacGyver laughed, a deep timbre that somehow made Tony want to duck and run.

"Mac? What's up, buddy?" Tony asked.

MacGyver shook his head, giving the agent a smirk, "Dunno. I don't know why you have me here. What does Hydra see in me, anyway?"

Tony bit his lip. He knew this guy must be new to Hydra but something Tony learned early on was to bide his time. Stall them long enough and you could concoct a means of escape, it worked in the Sahara desert, it would work here but he had to let Tony joke about things, he had to drown out the hum of the arc reactor and the blood pounding in his ears as the agent raised a thick fingered hand.

\-----

Steve winced as he watched the video feed on the laptop, the man's head snapping harshly to the side as Tony yelled for them to "Calm down, man, c' mon! You've already beaten him to within an inch of his life, give him room!"

Steve had to agree as the agent dropped his hand, leaving the man to breathe harshly. He knew that this must be Patricia's friend, Agent MacGyver, but other than the harsh, wet breathing, the rattle of chains and the small bloody spot on the back of his head, he could only take Tony's word for how bad the damage was.

"Looks like they pulled Mac's hair one too many times," Clint commented.

Natasha nodded, "Y' know I'm always telling him to cut it, but he likes it long."

Steve raised an eyebrow at them. While their relations to MacGyver were definitely interesting (he really wanted to know what happened in Budapest, and he was pretty sure the rest of the team did too), he couldn't help but shake the feeling they weren't really as concerned as they ought to be. Wanda and Sam had taken Ms. Thornton to the lobby, sayings something about getting lunch and leaving it at that.

"Judging from the angle, Tony is the focus, Agent MacGyver is most likely leverage," Steve stated, "do you two recognize anything about that room from what we can see?"

Pursing her lips, Natasha peered at the laptop. Onscreen, they could see the back of MacGyver's head, Tony's frantic expression as the camera was on him. The far wall was slightly out of focus, but it looked familiar, the walls colored a dingy green-gray and a single bulb hung from a ceiling, swinging along with what looked like filters of dust.

"Well, they're pretty much using the same facility the Red Room was in," Natasha finally said, "but this is a different one."

Patricia pursed her lips, and Steve thought for a minute she took tips from Fury on how to look intimidating, even if you were generally very short as a person. She exuded anger and frustration and worry all at once, examining the screen fervently before snapping, "Captain Rogers, you've had experience with Hydra, correct?"

Steve felt his skin bristle, "Unfortunately."

Patricia nodded, "Do they generally let themselves get so close to their prisoners?"

Steve noticed the strange look Natasha and Clint shared, the small hum of Wanda's magic as it flickered at her fingers. Sam was looking incredulous, raising an eyebrow at the screen as a Hydra agent turned the camera so they could see MacGyver front and center. His hair was slick with sweat, his face reddened and his neck bruised. He was pretty sure she _growled._

"Now then, Stark," the agent said, his voice crisp over the camera's audio ports, "Tell us where your weapons are and Pretty Boy here won't get hurt any further than he already is."

Steve heard Tony scoff, MacGyver glaring at the Hydra agent as he absentmindedly played with his hair. For a few minutes, there was radio silence, only MacGyver's breathing heavy onscreen, accompanied by the creak of a door and the scuffling of shoes. Steve watched as Macyver grinned, all sharp teeth and determined eyes as a second Hydra agent made himself known.

"I have the files on this one," he said, "We still gonna keep 'im?"

Hydra Agent One scoffed, gripping MacGyver's chin tightly, "Eh. Pierce'll probably find a way to have some fun with him."

"Y' know, those terrorists in Budapest thought the same thing," Clint commented.

"Yeah," Sam interjected, "You're going to tell us what the hell happened there, by the way. You can't just make comments like that and expect us to not ask questions."

Steve was about to reprimand them into focusing on the task at hand when he heard MacGyver's request.

"Hey, can i ask you guys a question?"

The Hydra agents considered, partially obscuring the screen, but Steve could see the second one holding some sort of file, clipped together with a silver paperclip or fastener. Going through it, the Hydra agents complied.

"What is that file?" Wanda asked, cocking her head as she watched.

"There will be no file once this is over," Patricia quipped, "I'm just hoping Mac there doesn't say anything-"

"You got a paperclip?" Mac's voice cut her off and Patricia groaned, motioning to slam her head on the desk.

"-stupid," she finished with defeat, "That's it. That. Is. It. I swear, that man will be the death of me."

Steve smirked, "What does he want with a paperclip?"

Patricia picked her head up, looking at him in disbelief, her eyes screaming, "Are you serious?"

Natasha caught his attention with a click of her tongue. Clint seemed eager as well, both of them looking as if Christmas had come early, but knowing them it probably had. Seemed to be a spy thing. Or an assassin thing, Steve wasn't entirely sure.

\-------

Tony couldn't believe this guy. He had only known him for what, a few days? A week, at most? Whatever the length of time, one thing was for sure: this Angus MacGyver was going to give him an aneurysm, an ulcer, a heart attack; maybe all three. The agents stood beside them, grinning in disbelief as MacGyver simply gave them a pleasant smile, as if greeting a neighbor while getting the paper from the front porch.

"What are you doing, Blondie?" Tony hissed, the tape digging at his wrists as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Yeah, Blondie?" Hydra Assole One mimicked, his friend taking a step closer to inspect something, but Tony didn't care what. He could feel himself tensing, his muscles aching as he clenched and unclenched his fists, the arc reactor throbbing against where it sat in his sternum.

Tony knew now that he was wrong. Hydra, with their weapons and agents and methods of torture, was not going to kill him. MacGyver, however, was going to kill him with anxiety and ulcer inducing panic-attacks until he simply gave up right there. With stupid questions like the ones MacGyver just asked, Tony was surprised teh guy had managed to stay alive for so long. Whoever hired him must really have been desperate.

"It's a simple question," Mac repeated, "I see you have a nice pretty paperclip there. Can I borrow it?"

"Mac-"

"Relax, Stark," MacGyver winked one of those too-blue-to-be-true eyes at him, "I know what I'm doing."

The agent examining the folder chuckled darkly, patting MacGyver's cheek, "Right. I think we all know what Pierce plans on doing with you, Pretty Boy."

MacGyver cocked his head, and he could see the nasty glint behind the air of innocence, "Really? Because let me tell you, my bite is worse than my bark."

That's when he bit down on the agent's hand, receiving a blow to the head from the other one. Tony grimaced as his already red cheek turned a dark purple, crimson running in a thin line from his temple and lip. MacGyver didn't say anything as the agent then yanked his hair again, earning a surprised grunt as they then sent a trail of saliva at his face.

It landed on MacGyver's cheek, mixing with the bloody gash that formed just under his eye. Tony wasn't even sure how he got it, but he was glad they hadn't decided to beat him up. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Well, Avengers," the agents sneered into the camera, still holding onto mac's hair, although he didn't seem as disgruntled by it as Tony thought he should've been, "Stark's little pet here doesn't know when to quit, so I advise you tell us where the weapons are or he's dead." With a grunt of anger, they slapped Mac once more before grumbling on their way out, the door creaking in protest. Tony jumped at the slam, the sound echoing in the empty room.

"Listen, Mac-" Tony started.

"Natasha, Clint," Mac ignored Tony, staring straight into the camera, "Tony here is gong to want to know what happened in Budapest. But right now, I gotta get us out of here. See you soon, Dr. Thornton."

Tony found he couldn't say anything as MacGyver then winked playfully at the camera, sticking out his tongue to show off a disgustingly salivated silver paperclip.

\------

"Oh, he's so dead when he gets back."

Wanda looked at Patricia as she sighed. Her face displayed a range of anger and horror, but probing the woman's mind, Wanda could only feel relief and happiness for her friend. Next to her, Sam shrugged, confusion evident in his eyes as he said, "I dunno. He already looks pretty dead. And why would he ask for a paperclip instead of the key to those shackles, anyway?"

"That's how Angus works, Sammy-boy," Natasha teased, "He makes something out of nothing."

"It's kind of his thing," Clint added with a nod, "Now we get to watch Tony become stupefied by the prospect of using something other than an Iron Man suit to get out of a situation."

Wanda chuckled. Tony sure did love those suits. Pepper once told her he was so engrossed in making them, she'd be able to hear him tinkering away in his lab in the wee hours of the morning. The end result was thousands of suits that eventually went to charity, but not before destroying their shared Malibu home. Steve had pulled out his phone to most likely call Director Fury and fill him in on the situation as Natasha and Clint were cheering and yelling at the screen. The Hydra agents had forgotten to turn off the camera, and what was happening was rather interesting.

MacGyver, with the paperclip somehow straightened out from it's oval, oblong shape, was holding it between his teeth and leaning down as much as he could until his face was within a few inches of the shackle around what looked to be his right wrist. She could hear Tony through the speakers panicking, along with the squeak of his chair sliding across the floor.

"Nat, he's doing the paperclip thing!" Clint suddenly squealed (which he would later deny), "I've only ever heard about him doing the paperclip thing!"

"I feel like I should make popcorn or something, y' know?" Natasha said, her eyes wide and glued to the action. Tony was babbling, but soon demanding an explanation for how Mac suddenly freed his wrist from the metal shackles, then went to work fiddling the paperclip into the one on his left wrist. It didn't take long, and soon Wanda was watching MacGyver rip Tony free from his chair and both turned to leave, but not before MacGyver stopped, facing the camera head-on as he dismounted it from whatever perch it had.

"I'll bring this back, Dr. Thornton," Mac said into the lens, "we can have Riley analyze the footage. Until then, MacGyver out."

The screen went blank and Wanda found herself staring back at four confused and two gleeful expressions. Well, save Patricia; she looked ready to strangle someone and if MacGyver didn't show up soon, that someone was probably going to be Steve if he didn't move out of her way.

"Honestly, I feel like Mac cheated us, Nat," Clint shook his head in mock sadness, "I mean, there was so much hype behind the paperclip, I think we were just to astonished when we saw the bubblegum thing back in Budapest."

Natasha nodded, twirling a piece of her hair on her finger until Sam finally broke the silence.

"What exactly did he do with a stick of chewing gum in Budapest?" he demanded, slamming his hands on the table. Wanda looked at them, Patricia drumming her fingers on the table expectantly. Both the spies looked positively smug before nodding in unison to announce:

"He built a bomb."

Oh. Whatever it was, Wanda wasn't expecting that. Sam was muttering under his breath, nearly knocking his chair over before announcing to the room, "Listen, when Stark and his new pal get here, I want an explanation- you people are just crazy! I can't take it anymore!"

Patricia wrinkled her nose at the now blank screen, "I believe your friend is right. Call me when those two idiots arrive."

The rest were about to follow suit until Sam poked his head back into the room.

"Y' know," he said with an unamused stare, "you two still didn't explain about what happened in Budapest."

Wanda rolled her eyes, biting her lip before sending her magic towards them. She could see images of the small villages and cities, as well the tents they were held in as part of their undercover operation. There was even a few images of Agent MacGyver, who seemed to be in good health despite his predicament. As she was searching, however, she didn't notice Natasha stopping to grin at her in amusement.

"Got what you came for?" she asked.

Wanda smiled, nodding, "Yes, I believe so."

As Natasha left with a firm nod, Wanda made one vow to herself when she went to tell Sam what happened: she would keep the awesomeness that was MacGyver's bubblegum bomb to herself- that is, until he griped and whined to be let in on the big secret. It seemed too cool to share, anyway, and he seemed pretty awestruck at the talking to Patricia gave to the two men once they arrived a few hours later in MacGyver's pick-up truck. That Tony hot-wired on their way home after stealing it from Pierce.

Some things never changed.

**Author's Note:**

> So, here it is! I really enjoyed the new MacGyver and I can't wait for more episodes :)
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
